


Ashes to ashes, we all fall down

by whywouldieverpushlouisoffthebed



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Kidnapped!Louis, M/M, fetus larry, mentions of rape and abuse, neighbor!harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-12
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-11 14:27:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/799743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whywouldieverpushlouisoffthebed/pseuds/whywouldieverpushlouisoffthebed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis lives in a basement and Harry can't understand why because he shines brighter than anyone he's ever met.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ashes to ashes, we all fall down

**Author's Note:**

> My sister is convinced our neighbor has a kidnapped girl in his basement. Funny the kinds of things Larry fanfiction writers get inspiration from. Anyways, I know this isnt completely logical in all aspects (it is in my head because I've really thought it through) but I know I've probably left some gaps and might not have explained reasons exactly right. I did put a lot of work into this though and I think it's pretty good. I hope you guys think so too and I cant wait to hear what you think!

Harry was five the first time he realized something about his neighbor just wasn’t right. He had been sitting on the deck in his backyard, coloring a picture of elephant in one of his jumbo coloring books without a care in the world. It was all purples and blues and far from inside the lines, but he knew his mum would still make a fuss and hang it on the refrigerator. Then she would ruffle his hair and maybe let him have a snack before dinner and that was his life and it was easy.

 He was in the middle of trying to add a sun to the top corner of the paper when something caught his attention. He was five after all and concentrating wasn’t something he had quite mastered yet.

 Tink. Tink. Tink.

 His head popped up, crayon dropping from his little hand and rolling rolling rolling until it landed with a plop in the grass.

 Not seeing anything within five feet of him that could've made the noise, he got up to retrieve his crayon. He really just wanted to find his crayon.

 Searching for a green crayon in green grass proved quite the challenge.

 Tink. Tink. Tink.

 He jumped, head almost smacking into the corner of the deck, before his eyes darted wildly around, searching.

 It was pure luck that they managed to catch sight of something yellow.

 The something yellow was a shirt, the shirt had a boy in it, and the boy was behind a window.

 A basement window to be exact, nestled snugly behind a strategically planted bush that left only a couple of inches of glass visible.

 The boy, who couldn’t have been much older than himself, was tapping the window frantically and Harry just stood there staring. At least he now knew where the noise had been coming from.

 Staring must not have been what the boy was wanting, his head suddenly spinning around to look at something behind him. It was when he glanced back, eyes suddenly filled with fear and mouth silently screaming “help” that Harry broke out of his trance.

 “Mummy! Mummy!”

 He didn’t look back, just ran, straight into the kitchen where his mum was cooking what smelt like macaroni.

 “What's wrong honey? I thought you were outside coloring.”

 He was clinging to her leg now, looking up with those big green eyes.

 “I—I was. There's a boy in Mr. Kelley's basement. I saw him.”

 She set the spoon she had been stirring with on the counter before kneeling down and placing her hands at his sides.

 “Mr. Kelley doesn’t have any kids Harry. You must have been imaging it.”

 And well he hadn’t really thought about that. Because he had imagined things before.

 There was the time he thought he saw a dinosaur in the park. He threw a fit, screaming and crying, until he convinced his mum to come look. It was just a lizard.

 Then there was the night he was convinced he'd seen a space ship land outside his window. He crawled out of bed in his Blue's Clues pajamas and pressed his little palms to the cold glass but there weren’t any spaceships. There was a lighting bug though.

 So it made sense really that he had been imagining the boy.

 “So he wasn’t real?”

 He wasn’t sure why that made him so sad, but it did.

 “I'm afraid not.”

 And that was an acceptable answer, because he was five, and why would his mum lie to him.

 *

 He forgot about that day in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Life came at him quickly, full of school and friends and growing up.

 Before he knew it he was seventeen and the last thing on his mind was his old neighbor, even if he did get the chills every time he saw the man, with his coke bottle glasses and greasy hair and clothes that looked like he didn’t own a washer. But he did own a washer. Harry knew that for a fact because he had been in the man's house numerous times. His parents and Mr. Kelley were close friends, inviting each other over for dinner at least once a month, and Harry was always forced to come along.

 As far as Harry knew there was nothing unusual about his neighbor. His house was just like every other on their street, he kept his grass mowed and planted flowers in the spring. The inside was furnished with black leather couches and new appliances and paintings on the walls. The painting were always Harry's favorite.

 One night as he studied a particular interesting one, which showcased the sun hiding under a rather large boulder, clouds and rain filling up the background, Mr. Kelley snuck up behind him.

 “Beautiful isn’t it?”

 He wasn’t scared. Just startled.

 “Yeah. You always buy the best paintings.”

 He turned around and the man was smiling like he knew a secret he was dying to tell.

 “Guess I've just got good taste.”

 Harry laughed and smiled and excused himself politely. He really did have homework to finish anyway. It had nothing to do with the fact that that house creeped him the fuck out for reasons he couldn’t even explain.

 *

 It was the middle of July when Harry was sitting on the deck reading a book as the sun set, and by some chance of fate he looked up and glanced towards Mr. Kelley's house. It was probably just a coincidence really, just some sort of accident caused by stars exploding far off in the universe, sending little bits of cosmic waves hurling at him that made him lift his head. Because when he did he barely caught sight of a face in the basement window. And holy fucking shit. Everything came rushing back, hitting him like bus. And yeah that was cliche and overused but that's what it fucking felt like. He saw the yellow shirt and the scared little boy and his mum telling him Mr. Kelley didn’t have any kids like it was yesterday.

 Maybe dinosaurs and spaceships really existed after all. Because he thought he imagined this boy so many years ago, yet there he was, like nothing had changed. Well except maybe his age.

 He did a double take. Followed by a triple take. Yep he was still there.

 So Harry did what any sensible person would do. He caught the boy's eyes and smiled. The biggest smile he could muster because people said his dimples made him look friendly. That's what he was trying for wasn’t it?

 The boy didn’t smile back and it made Harry kind of angry. Who did he think he was peering out of the window, watching Harry read anyway.

 Tink. Tink. Tink.

 He had only blinked when he realized the boy was pressing something up to the window while tapping on the glass with his pointer finger.

 Any sensible person would go and see what it was. Plus, if he didn’t go see he would’ve ended up staying up half the night wondering.

 Hesitantly he set his book down and pushed himself out of his chair. It was only a nine or ten foot walk but it felt like it took ages. Every step sounded so loud against the crisp grass in the dim light of the evening. Every breath sounded like he was blowing out candles. When he got to the window he crouched down, knees hitting the hard ground making him wince a little. Now that he was closer he could see the boy was definitely his age. Even through the murky window he could make out every color of blue that laced together to form those eyes, every blemish marking his pale skin, every wisp of caramel hair that hung loosely across his forehead. Harry didn’t even like boys but fuck this one was stunning.

 Tink.

 The boy tapped once more, gaining Harry's full attention.

 If Harry had only known how long the boy had been trying to get his attention.

 Eventually he remembered why he had ended up there in the first place and glanced down at what appeared to be a piece of cardboard with a large smiley face painted on it, pressed against the glass.

 When he looked back up and caught the boy's eyes he still wasn’t smiling but he looked like he wanted to. And that could be considered progress.

 Suddenly the same fear Harry had seen in the boy's eyes that day so long ago, found it's way back. It was slightly different this time, mixed up with sadness and a hint of knowing, rather than confusion.

 Then there was something else pressed against the window.

  _Come back tonight. Eleven._

 Harry barely had a chance to read it before both the note and boy disappeared into the darkness of the basement.

 The things he got himself into sometimes.

 *

 It was ten fifty five and of course he was going back. He never really had a choice to begin with.

 So he pulled on one of his darkest pairs of jeans and a hoodie even though it was fucking July and snuck out the back door with a flashlight and a candy bar. He didn’t know how long this was going to take after all and a boys gotta eat. And see.

 There was no light coming from the window but he found it anyway, kneeling down much more carefully this time.

 He was the one tapping now and it was kind of strange.

 Then someone was there and by instinct he moved the flashlight up, effectively blinding them.

 The boy yanked a hand up to shield his eyes and stumbled back a little bit. Harry was great at first impressions. Maybe not so much at second ones.

 “Sorry. Sorry!”

 He wasn’t sure if the boy heard him or not but he lowered the light and the hand came down so he must have forgiven him.

 “S'okay.”

 It was quiet and mumbled and so unsure that Harry thought he might've imagined it, but he didn’t.

 “Does this window open? It'd be a little easier to hear you that way.”

 And Harry wasn’t lying because it would be easier to hear. He also might've just maybe wanted to get a better look at the boy. But he still most definitely liked girls.

 “I've never tried it.”

 So so quiet.

 “Well try it then!”

 Harry tried the dimples again and this time the corner of the boy's mouth quirked up. Just a little, but it was enough.

 At first the window didn’t seem to want to budge but then there was a lot of crunching and it shot up suddenly like a spring, the noise echoing through the still night air.

 “No no no no.”

 The boy had spun around so he wasn’t facing Harry anymore, hands on his head, as he muttered to himself and paced back and forth.

 "You okay mate?”

 Harry had never seen anyone have a panic attack but this just didn’t seem normal.

 “He heard that. He's going to come and get you now. Shit Louis shit shit shit. This was such a stupid idea.”

 The amount of things going through Harry's brain at this point were probably enough to make it explode, so he decided to keep it simple. This boy, Louis, needed help and he just so happened to be the only one huddling outside a basement window at eleven o'clock at night.

 “Hey, Louis, it's okay. It wasn’t really that loud. And Mr. Kelley left a little while ago, he's not even here. See? Nobodies coming.”

 Louis turned around and his eyes were puffy, tears pouring down his cheeks leaving little tracks that Harry wanted to wipe away. If Louis were a girl that is. Yeah.

 “He—he's not here?”

 He managed to get that much out between little sobs.

 “I promise.”

 Harry said, repositioning himself so he was laying down with his head resting on his hands just a couple of inches from the window. Something told him this was going to be a long night so he might as well get comfortable.

 Long turned out to be an understatement.

 “So—sorry about all of this. Jim just gets—he gets angry sometimes. Whe—when I don’t listen.”

 It seemed like Louis was started to calm down, aside from the occasional after-sob that escaped him.

 “Jim?”

 Harry asked, his chin slipping off his hand, causing his head to drop clumsily to one side

 “Yeah. He lives upstairs.”

 Oh. Mr. Kelley. People do have first names after all.

 “So you don’t live upstairs?”

 Could you really blame him for being nosy? It's not everyday that you find out your neighbor harbors boys in their basements.

 “I've never been up there. Jim said it's not safe.”

 So Louis lived in the basement. Slowly the dots started connecting in Harry's head, even though they didn’t create the prettiest picture. If this boy had never been upstairs that meant he must've been locked away, no one even aware of his existence, for over ten years. Harry was mentally yelling at himself for not seeing the signs sooner. It ended up being harder than he thought to keep it contained.

 “Fuck Louis. This is so fucking screwed up.”

 Harry was siting now, legged tucked beneath himself. He was picking at the dried blades of grass in front of him, shredding it into tiny pieces in an attempt to calm down.

 “Don’t say that.”

 And Louis was shaking his head back and forth like he was trying to get a bug out of his hair. Or voices out of his head.

 “Don’t say what?”

 Because Harry didn’t understand.

 “That word. I said that word once and—“

 He didn’t finish his sentence because there were headlights bouncing across the shadows and then a car door slamming far too close for comfort.

 The window was slammed shut as quietly as possible and the boy with the eyes that should've been bright was gone.

 Neither boy slept that night. One tossing and turning, nightmares of horrific things he had only seen in movies flashing through his brain, making him so sick that at one point he had to make a trip to the bathroom. The other living those nightmares, crying out even though no one could hear him, until he was left alone in the dark, bruises forming on bruises and blood seeping from places it should never have been.

 *

 Harry didn’t really go out of his way to get a glimpse of that basement window after that. He didn’t really go out of his way not to get a glimpse of it either.

 In fact his mum probably thought he was going insane, the way he kept wandering into the backyard for no reason and making excuses to peer out the kitchen window.

 He was doing the dishes one evening, which he never did, when his mum walked in.

 “Harry Styles why in the world are you doing the dishes?”

 Well he couldn’t really tell the truth now could he, because that would just sound absurd. And creepy. Really creepy.

 “Just thought I should start helping you out more mum.”

 Of course she believed him. He was a good kid after all.

 When an entire day passed and he had yet to see any signs of movement what so ever, he decided to take things up a notch.

 He spent a good third of the next day sitting on the back porch reading, his chair angled just perfect. And it was lovely because his mum didn’t even pester him.

 It wasn’t lovely when he finished his book and still hadn’t seen any trace of life from the window.

 He wasn’t going to be getting much sleep for awhile.

 *

 Five gruesomely long days later he had finally given up. Well not really _given up,_ because he still watched the window like a hawk and planned his entire day around it, but he had accepted the fact that he might not ever see the boy again.

 And he wasn’t even sure why he really cared all that much, because he barely knew Louis and it was a very large possibility that he was Mr. Kelley's hidden sex slave.

 Harry liked to keep his life interesting.

 After all, he could've called the police and that would’ve solved a lot of problems in just a few minutes. But there were flaws to that plan, and a lot of them.

 Because Harry was just a seventeen year old kid who lived with his mum and  was on summer break and read too many books.

 The police would probably dismiss every word he said. Or lock him in a mental institution.

 By the off chance they did decide to pursue his accusations, Mr. Kelley was probably prepared for that kind of thing.

 You don’t just keep someone locked in your basement for that many years and get away with it without being pretty smart.

 He probably had rehearsed his lies so many times that they fell easily off his tongue like they were never lies to begin with. He probably had fake alibis and secret doors and maybe even an entirely hidden room in the basement that no one would ever find. He probably had been preparing for the moment someone got suspicious for so long that he wouldn’t even have to think twice before letting them in to look around.

 So Harry didn’t call the police.

 One day he would realize it was the best decision he had ever made. Or one of them at least.

 *

 It was almost August the next time Louis made an appearance.

 Harry was lying in bed watching one of those videos where screaming goats were edited into songs and he probably should've been sleeping, but school was starting in two weeks and he would have to sleep plenty then.

 He didn’t even notice the light flashing on his curtains at first because he was laughing hysterically at those stupid goats. Stupid funny goats.

 Then out of the corner of his eye he spotted it, blinking on and off like some kind of beacon.

 He got up to investigate, pulling his curtain back and peering out into the blackness. When he realized it was coming from that window he knew all too well he almost fainted. Well not really, but he did get a little light headed.

 He was dressed and outside within thirty seconds. Maybe he needed a Louis alarm clock for the days he didn’t want to wake up.

 “Louis? Louis?”

 Harry was whispering as he made his way to the window, stumbling a little along the way, because it was dark after all.

 “Hi.”

 The voice he had already memorized rang out, this time much more vibrant.

 “Hi there yourself. Where have you been? I've been watching for you.”

 Realizing he probably said more than he should've, Harry ducked his head to hide his embarrassment. If only he would’ve seen the way Louis' eyes lit up, just the tiniest bit and barely noticeable, but it was there. Like a spark before the fire.

 “I’ve been— busy.”

 Harry could tell the boy was searching for the right thing to say. He wished he could've told him that anything that came out of his mouth would’ve been perfect.

 Then.

 "What's your name anyway?”

 Louis tilted his head to the side and it was ridiculously cute and okay maybe Harry liked this boy. But only this one.

 “It's Harry. And you’re Louis right?”

 Because he'd never really been officially introduced but he did remember the boy muttering Louis to himself mid panic attack..

 “Harry.”

 Louis tested out the name and something inside Harry shattered. He was really really fucked.

 “I like it. And yeah I'm Louis. So you’ve been watching for me?”

 And of course the boy would bring that back up, because that was Harry's luck.

 “Kind of? I was just worried about you s'all. I promise I'm not a stalker or anything.”

 Harry held his hands up and smirked and if it wouldn’t have been so dark he would’ve seen that Louis was blushing.

 What he did see was the boy holding what appeared to be his flashlight, tightly in both hands like he was afraid it was going to fly away. Louis must've noticed that he noticed.

 “Oh this yours. You left it over here last time. Sorry.”

 His stuck his arm out the window to hand it back and Harry tried to pretend he didn’t see the bruises that stood out so vividly on the boy's pale skin.

 “Thanks for keeping it for—“

 He lost his words at that point because he was wrapping his fingers around the flashlight and he grabbed it too far up or Louis was holing it too far down, because their fingers bumped clumsily together. Harry had never believed in “electric” touches or sparks or any of that shit so whoever controlled fate must've thought they were really funny.

 Because “electric” was the only way to describe the tingles starting at his fingertips and jumping through his veins, all the way up until every hair on his arm was standing on end. Well that was new.

 Louis pulled his hand back quickly and Harry almost wanted to ask if he felt it too but decided against it.

 Of course Louis felt it too and maybe that was the reason things spiraled out of control so quickly.

 *

 The next couple of weeks played out much like that night.

 Harry had given Louis back the flashlight, “in case you ever need me”, which it turned out happened to be quite often. Every night to be exact.

 Louis would shine it at Harry's window, because he'd been watching the boy since he was five, of course he knew which window was his, and Harry would already be ready to go the second he saw it because he liked routine, it had nothing to do with pretty blue eyes.

 The conversations were awkward at first, jumping from subject to subject, careful and reserved. Harry didn’t want to ask too many questions, just yet, and Louis produced a lot of random facts that were completely unrelated to the subject on hand.  It didn’t seem to matter though, because they found their way back to each other every night. It never failed.

 *

 Harry had been in school for two weeks when he decided he really liked Louis.

 See there was this girl, Taylor, and she had pretty curly blonde hair and nice skin and there was absolutely no reason for Harry to not like her. So when she came up to him at lunch and shyly handed him a piece of paper with her number and a little smiley face next to it, he threw it away with his half eaten mashed potatoes and corn. His best friend Liam's eyes got so wide Harry was afraid they were going to fall out right there in the middle of the cafeteria.

 “That was Taylor Harry. Taylor.”

 He said, making sure to emphasize Taylor in case Harry was confused.

 “I know who she is Liam.”

 He knew all too well. In fact she was all he talked about for a good three months last year, which was probably why Liam was in shock.

 “Then why did you throw her number away?”

 Harry just walked away. Of course Liam scrambled after him like a dog that thought it was being left behind.

 “Harry?”

 “Yes Liam?”

 “You’re confusing you know that?”

 But Liam was smiling and he was his best friend and if there was one thing Harry loved about him, it was that he dropped things easily.

 “So I've been told.”

 He was walking home when it struck him. He had throw a girl's number away.  A girl that he used to be for lack of a better word, obsessed with.

 He couldn’t wait to tell Louis.

 *

 “You did what?”

 It was midnight and there they were, like always, one beneath the stars and the other beneath the ceiling.

 “I threw it away. I just told you! Weren’t you paying attention?”

 Harry's cheeks physically hurt he was smiling so wide.

 “I'm just in shock. You should've called her you know.”

 But his eyes said I'm glad you didn’t

 “I think I like someone else though.”

 He liked Louis. He just needed to make himself say it out loud.

 “Do you now? And who might this mystery girl be?”

 And that was Louis for you. He might've been locked in a basement but he never failed to amaze Harry.

 “Well it's—it's kind of a boy.”

 Baby steps.

 “A boy?”

 Louis asked, followed by the first smile Harry had managed to pull out of the boy. It was small and unsure but it was a fucking smile.

 “Give me your hand.”

 Harry reached his out, and Louis was hesitant but he didn’t say no.

 Then there was skin on skin and Harry threaded his fingers where none had ever been before. He tried not to think about the way the boy flinched. Because that made him think about exactly why he was flinching, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to face that yet.

 “A boy.”

 Harry whispered, hoping that it would be enough.

 “I'm a boy.”

 Louis responded cheerily. Well that wasn’t what he had been expecting but he ran with it anyway.

 “Exactly.”

 And then Louis got it.

 “So you like me?”

 He asked, the smile on his face coming naturally this time, like it had never been something taken away from him.

 “Well yeah—I guess I do.”

 “Is that why you’re holding my hand?”

 Harry had never met anyone quite like this boy. He wasn’t afraid to say what he was thinking or ask questions that most people would keep to themselves.

 “You’re holding my hand too. Does that mean you like me?”

 Answering a question with a question. Harry considered himself a genius sometimes.

 “I’ve never really liked anyone before but if that's what's making my stomach feel like bugs are crawling in it then I guess the answer is yes.”

 Harry was smiling too much lately and there was only one person to blame. And that person was just a couple inches away, looking at him like he wanted to look at him forever.

 “Butterflies Louis. It's called butterflies in your stomach.”

 Louis' face got all confused and he pouted, scrunching his eyebrows together like he was trying to think really hard.

 “Real butterflies?”

 And of course that would be something he would say. He still looked confused and Harry gave his hand, which he couldn’t bring himself to let go of even though their palms were sweaty, a little reassuring squeeze before answering.

 “No. It's just a saying. Cause your stomach feels all fluttery like there’s butterflies in it.”

 It was weird having to explain things that seemed like common knowledge but he didn’t mind. He would explain things to Louis for the rest of his life if he could. Because he knew Louis wasn’t stupid. Most of what he knew about the world outside of the basement came from things he seen on tv, and boy did he watch a lot of tv, but given his current circumstances that was one of the few things he could actually do for fun. It turned out tv could actually be very educational if you watched things other than sports and movie channels.  Not many people other than Harry could appreciate that. Louis knew all about global warming and historic events and just about every major thing that had happened in the last five years. Honestly he was probably smarter than Harry, which really said something. Because Harry was always one of those people that went above and beyond, throwing off the grading curve and reading for fun when everyone else was bragging about their latest relationship. He liked learning and even more than that, he liked people that liked learning. It was actually on his list of must haves for potential relationships, hence the fact that he hadn’t had many successful relationships.

 All the girls that he'd went out with could've cared less about who the president of the United States was or the structure of atoms. Their only concern was getting as close to having sex as possible without actually having sex. And yeah that was fun sometimes, but what was the point of being with someone if you couldn’t even have a conversation about anything other than who broke up with who at school or how life was so unfair because it rained on “The one day I decided to straighten my hair Harry. Life hates me. I swear to god”.

 “I like butterflies.”

 Louis stated proudly.

 Well Harry would have to put _get a butterfly tattoo_ on his mental to do list. And if that wasn’t the start of the end of him having control of his life he wasn’t sure what was.

 *

 August flew by in a rush of heat and school and nighttime study sessions with Louis.

 It had been Harry's idea to start doing his homework by the window so Louis could keep him company, which quickly morphed into Harry teaching Louis about whatever it was he was studying. They spent a lot of time going over essays and reading aloud from textbooks and Louis taking in as much information as he possibly could.

 He took in more of Harry than anything else though.

 They would be reviewing flashcards and Louis would forget to tell Harry if he was right or not because he got distracted watching the boy search his brain for the answer.

 Or Harry would be reading a paragraph from his English book and Louis would forget to breath because that voice was just so delightfully different from the only other voice he knew.

 And then September came. Followed by October. And the only thing that changed between the two boys was the fact that Louis smiled a lot more and Harry was falling.

 *

 The cold came in with November.

 Harry would bundle up in layers of sweaters and hoodies and scarves because there was no way he wasn’t going to see Louis. He usually ended up one layer short by the end of the night and he would never fully understand how nice it was for Louis to fall asleep with something that didn’t smell like rape.

 It was one particularly chilly night when a boundary was crossed.

 “It's fucking freezing Lou!”

 Because yeah they were at the nickname stage and it was a nice stage at that.

 “It's quite toasty in here. See?”

 Louis reached out and grabbed one of Harry's fingertips between his own. His hands were burning against Harry's and he wasn’t sure if it was because he was so cold or so in _like_.

 “Well you better scoot over and let me squeeze through that window.”

 He was only kidding because there was no way Louis would let him come in, and even if he agreed there was no way Harry was actually going to follow through.

 Louis moved to the side, gesturing for Harry to come in, and well that was unexpected.

 He wasn’t even sure what part of his brain decided that it would be a good idea to get down on his hands and knees and back his lanky body through the far too small space. Probably the part that thought it was a good idea to visit a kidnap victim every night when there was a huge possibility of getting caught. He would have to remember to thank that part of his brain one day.

 He carefully squeezed in and dropped the couple of feet to the ground, landing with a little thud. Louis was at his side steadying him and even in the dark he could tell he was a good couple inches taller than the boy.

 “I didn’t think you would actually do it.”

 Louis said in astonishment.

 “Me either.”

 But his words were distant and quiet as he took in exactly where he was.

 After a few seconds his eyes adjusted to the darkness, making out a lamp in the far corner that let off a dim yellow glow, highlighting concrete walls. There was a queen size bed that took up the small space, made neatly with what appeared to be a plain black bed set and two flat pillows. Across from the bed was the tv, one of those little box ones that people put in their kitchens, and a nightstand piled with odds and ends. The last thing Harry spotted were the paintings, a whole stack of them, leaned up against one of the walls like they didn’t want to be seen.

 “You paint?”

 He already knew the answer. It all made sense now.

 "Yeah but they’re not very good. I don’t really have a lot of inspiration.”

 Louis gestured to his surrounding and then lowered his head to avoid Harry's gaze, letting out a small laugh to try to hide how nervous he was.

 “Can I look at them?”

 Because Harry had loved Louis' paintings before he even knew the boy.

 “Just don’t expect too much.”

 Harry slowly walked over to the stack and caught Louis glancing up every couple of seconds to gauge his reaction. He studied each one carefully, two sparrows nestled together on a branch, an baby gazelle in the brush with a lion watching it from a distance, a tree enveloping what appeared to be the sun, scene after scene of colors and lines and talent. Then he got to the very last one and took a deep breath, blinking a couple of times because he was staring at himself and he wasn’t ready for that.

 But there he was, leaned over a book in the grass, the soft glow of the moon lighting up every space between his curls and the curve of his shoulders. His eyes were shining green and moonlight and there was a small smile playing on his lips, one dimple just a little deeper than the other one. That was the night Louis had told him he looked like an angel. Well more or less whispered it to himself thinking Harry didn’t hear him. Harry heard him. Every time he thought about it for the rest of the night he'd ended up smiling to himself, imaging the way the words sounded in the still night air.

 “Was this the night you said I looked like an angel?”

 He forgot Louis didn’t know he'd heard that.

 “How did yo—?”

 Louis' head snapped up but Harry cut him off.

 “Is it?”

 Because Harry knew but he had to know.

 “Yeah.  You’ve gotta admit you did. I didn’t ever wanna forget ya know, even if I never saw you again I needed something.”

 Harry wanted to tell him he would never leave, but not yet.

 “This is amazing Louis. These are all amazing.”

 He turned around and the tension practically pulled them into each others arms.

 Harry was closer to Louis than he had ever been before. He could feel his body heat and see every rise and fall of his chest and that's when he really knew he needed to kiss him.

 So he did.

 “I'm going to kiss you if that's okay.”

 Harry mumbled, already so close he could feel Louis' breath mixing with his own.

 Louis just nodded, sparks flickering in his eyes that might one day turn into something more, something so bright it would put the sun to shame.

 It turned out to be one of the most delicate kisses Harry had ever had. His hand found Louis' jaw, angling his head up just slightly, before joining their lips together. He kissed Louis like the boy was about to fall apart and he was simply fixing the cracks. They moved slowly, cautiously, because those were the kinds of first kisses that people remembered. Those were the only ones that mattered in the end.

 Louis was pressed in so close in the dark, it would’ve been hard to tell they were two people, with their own hands on hips and flushed cheeks and racing hearts.

 Harry pulled away first, but ended up pressing a final peck on the boy's lips because it felt necessary.

“Could we maybe do that again some time?”

 Harry asked, pulling Louis in for a hug and nuzzling his face into the boy's shoulder. Everything just felt so right, even though it was all so wrong. Because if Louis would’ve never been locked away in that basement would they have ever met? Would things have felt the same between them if they did? That Harry wasn’t sure of, and he felt bad but he wouldn’t have changed a thing. Luckily Louis felt the same.

 *

 They ended up indoors a lot of that, Harry always making sure Mr. Kelley was gone before crawling through the window into Louis' arms.

 Most of the time they just ended up cuddled on the bed, watching tv and exploring each others mouths until Harry reluctantly made his way back to his own bed.

 It didn’t take long for Harry to start noticing things, and really they were things he had noticed all along, but now he had a lot more reason to care. Like the nights the bruises would show themselves, littered down Louis' arms and occasionally paired with a black eye or busted lip. Or the way Louis avoided physical contact on those nights, his internal conflict clear in his eyes.

 Harry never asked questions though. Until the night he did.

 “What does he do to you?”

 And he hated himself for bringing it up but there was no way of moving forward without stumbling over this bump. This very large bump.

 He hadn’t been bargaining for the full length story but that's what he got, Louis making him promise not to say anything until he was done.

 "I was seven. I can still hear my mum telling me not to leave the house without her but I was a stupid kid. What can I say? I heard the ice cream truck music and grabbed some change I'd been saving up and ran outside. But it had already passed my house so of course I chased after it. I wasn’t more than a hundred feet away when the car pulled up next to me and Jim told me he'd help me get my ice cream. I got in and I probably asked him eight hundred times where we were going when the ice cream truck disappeared but he wouldn’t answer me. We ended up at his house and he let me stay upstairs the first couple of days, until I tried getting out and he moved me to the basement. I saw you for the first time shortly after that. I thought maybe you could help me get out, maybe you could save me. But even after I gave up on getting out I still couldn’t help watching you. Especially when you read. I cant even tell you the amount of time I've spent watching you read, like you do this thing—when you get to a part that really gets to you, and I could tell just by your expression if it was sad or happy or something you really connected with even if you weren’t obviously showing it. I never really thought you would actually notice me again.”

 Harry didn’t want to break his promise so rather than speak he curled himself into Louis' side and pressed light kisses all down his cheeks and jaw and neck.

 “Everything else isn’t the easiest to swallow, but if you really want to know I'll tell you because you deserve to know the truth.”

 And this was actually happening. Shit. All he could do was nod and swallow the lump forming in his throat.

 Louis talked about himself at seven fucking years old being forced to jack Mr. Kelley off, followed not long after that by blow jobs. Louis cried when he recalled the first time he got tied down to the dirty wooden table in the room next to his, where he was beat until he couldn’t see straight and then ripped open by body parts that should've never been inside him. He didn’t remember that first time as clearly as every time that followed. Because things only got worse, Mr. Kelley always taking things one step farther then what Louis could handle. Half the time he didn’t even remember going to bed but woke up blood soaked and barely able to walk.

 Then there were the threats. Which were really the entire reason Louis hadn’t tried to escape yet. Mr. Kelley knew his address, had pictures of his family (supposedly), knew his sisters names and ages, and said if Louis ever ran away one of them would have to take his place. There was no way he was going to let that happen, so he stayed, because he had no choice really.

 By the time everything was out in the open, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Louis had quickly fallen asleep to Harry's soothing “shhs” and “it's okay I'm here” and was currently wrapped in the boy's arms breathing softly and hopefully dreaming of everything good and beautiful in the world.

 Harry really really didn’t want to leave but decided in would be in everyone's best interests, so he carefully tucked Louis in, kissed him on the forehead, and found his way back to his house.

 He really just needed to sleep, he could save the thinking for later.

 *

 When he decided to save the thinking for later he didn’t realize just how often his mind would wander to what Louis had told him. It was always in the back of his head, reminding him he was dealing with something much larger and more complex then he could've ever imagined. He seriously contemplated killing Mr. Kelley for about a week but wondered if he ended up in prison who would take care of Louis. It sure as hell wouldn’t be him, that's for sure, and that just wasn’t an option.

 *

 It was January before they knew it and a fairly simple routine between the two had been developing. Their visits weren’t everyday like they used to be, Harry busy with school and his new job at the grocery store in town, but every Friday and Saturday night there was knocking on glass and hushed voices and plenty of kissing. Which was all they had done up to this point, and that was okay, because neither wanted to push things too quickly.

 It just so happened they both decided to push things on the same night.

 Harry had found out from his mum that Mr. Kelley was going to visit his brother for the weekend and rushed over to Louis the moment that car left the driveway.

 “You’re never gonna guess what I know.”

 He sang happily as he landed with a plop in the basement.

 “If I'm never gonna guess you better tell me.”

 Louis was already clinging to him, sucking bruises into his neck like he forgot what his skin tasted like.

 “We have this place to ourselves for the entire weekend.”

 He managed to spit out, followed by a groan because shit, he could only handle so much with a closed mouth.

 “I want you then.”

 Louis mumbled into his skin, sending vibrations straight to Harry's dick.

 “By want you mean what exactly?”

 Harry couldn’t even think straight at this point.

 “I thought I made that clear when I said you.”

 Louis was laughing now, dragging Harry to the bed by his shirt.

 “Lou are you sure? Like this can wait, seriously, I'm not going anywhere.”

 Harry stopped him, grabbing him by the shoulders and staring straight into his eyes.

 “I'm sure.”

 Because everybody has different ways of coping with things, and Louis' just so happened to be facing it head on.

 “Do you have like you know—condoms and stuff?”

 This had never been a conversation Harry had had to have before.

 “Harry think about that question real quick.”

 When he realized that of course Louis wouldn’t have any of those things he was sent back to his room to retrieve his supply. A boy's gotta be prepared for anything after all.

 He was tackled the second his feet hit the floor, and Louis was laughing hysterically.

 “Get on the bed you idiot.”

 Harry was teasing and Louis knew it, scrambling up and sitting on the bed like an excited toddler waiting for a piece of candy.

 "I forgot to tell you that tonight is only about you.”

 “Bu—“

 “No buts Lou. You can worry about me some other time. And if you get uncomfortable I swear to god you better stop me.”

 “Okay. Yeah. Okay.”

 Harry slotted himself between Louis' thighs, leaning down to kiss him while slowly pushing him back until he was effectively straddling him. Once he had the boy where he wanted he grinded down experimentally, because this was a first for him too. The way Louis' mouth fell open into a silent “O” made Harry do it again, this time lining up just perfect so their cocks rubbed against each other.

 “Fuck Harry.”

 As soon as Louis realized the words had escaped him his face flushed a bright red and a hand shot up to cover his mouth.

 “Don’t. I like it.”

 Harry said, pulling his hand from his mouth and kissing all five of his fingertips.

 He slowly traveled down the boy's arm, somehow getting his shirt off in the process, and kept going down down down until he got to his worn sweatpants.

 “S'this okay?”

 Harry nodded towards his pants.

 “Yes, fucking hell yes.”

 He would’ve been lying if he said Louis cussing wasn’t sending what felt like all the blood in his body straight down.

 “I like it when you talk like that.”

 He was pulling the boy's pants off, followed by his boxers.

 “Jim always made me be quiet. Said the neighbors would hear.”

 He was ripping the condom open and rolling it down over Louis' already achingly hard cock.

 “I want you to be as loud as you want. Because this is about you, remember?”

 He gave it a couple of quick strokes which earned a low moan from Louis. When his lips found their way around the tip, sucking him in, Louis' entire body let out a shudder and he bucked up into Harry's mouth instinctively.

 “Sorry. Just felt good. No one's ever done this to me.”

 He was breathless and struggled to get his words out, Harry getting the hang of things and inching down farther and farther until Louis' cock hit the back of his throat.

 Well this wasn’t so hard.

 Before he knew it he was licking long strips up Louis' length and picking up his pace until the back of his throat was raw and sore.

 It was worth it. Well worth it.

 Because when Louis came and screamed out Harry's name and lay there completely relaxed it felt like he'd accomplished something great. He also learned he really liked giving blow jobs. To Louis at least. Yeah, probably only to Louis.

 And for the first time they got the chance to fall asleep in each others arms.

 *

 The next morning Harry snuck home and brought back breakfast for the two of them to share. It was just chocolate chip muffins and milk but Louis still said it was the best breakfast he'd ever had and kissed Harry until he believed him.

 As he finished the last bite of muffin, Harry licked his thumb and swiped it over the corner of Louis' mouth where a little chocolate was smudged.

 “I think I love you Harry.”

 Louis blurted out, his eyes sparkling.

 “Shit. Seriously? Because I was thinking the exact same thing.”

 Harry took the opportunity to crash their lips together and when he pulled back he was positive he looked like a love sick puppy. But he could care less.

 “I love you too. Like a lot.”

 More than a lot actually. Whatever that might've been. Because Louis was so smart and caring and funny. He had been through so much, was still going through so much, yet he didn’t let it bring him down. He made the most of every good moment he received and that was truly something to admire. So yeah, he loved Louis. He really loved Louis.

 *

 February and March and April passed with plenty of snow and rain and exploring. Every chance they got there was touching and kissing and more than anything else, healing. They didn’t talk about Mr. Kelley anymore, leaving it all in the past, even though it was still very much in the present.

 Harry would do his best to kiss away the scars, both old and new, and Louis would thank him for not running away.

 *

 “I want you to come with me.”

 Harry declared mid-May while they were watching tv.

 “Where to?”

 But Louis knew where to. They had had this discussion once before, because Harry was leaving for university and his mum was going to set him up in his own flat so he could be closer to school. He was leaving in June.

 “You know where to Louis.”

 There was no way he was leaving without him. No fucking way.

 “I know. It's just—.”

 He didn’t finish his sentence because he didn’t have any logical reason why he shouldn’t go. Except he was scared. Scared to be in out in a world he barely knew, scared for his sisters, scared Harry would decide he didn’t want him anymore. What would he do then? At least the basement was safe.

 “It's what Lou? This place is hell. You’re trapped down here and one day you’re just gonna lose it and forget what living even is. And don’t say you’ve already forgot because I can see in your eyes that you haven’t.”

 Harry rarely got upset but this definitely called for it.

 “I haven’t been outside in what—eleven years? Twelve? I haven’t even seen the sun properly for so long that I don’t remember what it's like Harry. Do you really wanna be with someone that doesn’t fucking remember what the sun looks like? Think about it. I'm a burden. That's it.”

 Upset might've been an understatement.

 “How do you not see it? I don’t give a shit if you’ve seen the sun or not. You wanna know why? Because you’re my sun.”

 And he really was. Bright and beautiful and giving Harry more life than he knew what to do with.

 “I'm your sun?”

 “That's what I just said Lou.”

 “If I come with you what happens when you leave me?”

 Well that was never going to happen.

 “I can guarantee that's never going to happen.”

 It might not have been a promise he was a hundred percent sure he could keep but he was going to try with everything he had. Louis was worth it.

 “Okay.”

 Maybe Louis caved because he had been looking for a reason to leave all along. And his reason just so happened to be a very cute boy with dimples.

 *

 Louis left the basement for the first time on a Tuesday night. It was June and Harry had been out of school for three weeks, occupying most of his time packing and going over last minutes details, normal things people do before they move out. He was also forming an escape plan for his neighbor who had been kidnapped and kept locked in a basement. Completely normal.

 By the time the moment of truth had arrived Harry was pretty sure he had his plan down to a science. After a little bit of snooping he found out Mr. Kelley would be working late that night, getting off sometime around midnight, which gave them ample time to get out and on the road. He'd told his mum he wanted to get an early start so he could get settled before he had to start job hunting, and of course she didn’t question him, he was a good kid.

 The one thing that was still unknown was how Mr. Kelley would react upon realizing Louis was gone, but they could only hope for the best. In all honesty Harry thought he was probably bluffing about all the threats he made, because that's how kidnappers worked.

 Louis was already waiting by the window when Harry got there, a small pile of his belongings piled in the grass.

 “This all you’re taking?”

 Harry asked, picking up a few paintings, including the one of himself, a couple of outfits, and a small shoebox.

 “I don’t really have a lot of stuff now do I Mr. Smarty pants.”

 He was relieved Louis was only joking with him.

 "Well we're going to fix that now aren’t we?”

 Because Harry had that all planned out too. They were going shopping as soon as possible to pick up some necessities, with money so graciously provided by his mum. She didn’t have to know what it was being used for after all and she had told him to make sure to spend it on important things. Louis was important.

 “So I've been told. Now help me out before I chicken out.”

 Louis had his hands poking through the window, making little grabbing motions towards Harry.

 “You wouldn’t”

 Harry took his hands and pulled him up, grass staining the stomach of his shirt, but neither took notice. Or cared at all really.

 “Of course I wouldn’t. You’d have to be stupid to believe that.”

 The first words of freedom left his mouth followed quickly by straightening himself out and lunging himself into Harry's arms.

 They stood there, wrapped up in each other and the still night air and the twinkly stars floating above them. Louis was holding on like he was about to be ripped away, his thumb digging into the skin of Harry's back, but that was the last thing on either of their minds. Harry was thinking about the way Louis' cheek was pressed against his heart and leaned down to press a feather light kiss to the top of the boy's head because they had done it. Or almost done it, because they still had to get as far away from this place as they fucking could.

 "Are you ready to get the fuck out of here?”

 Louis lifted his head and nodded in quick successions.

 “Never been more ready.”

 Harry carried his stuff to the car like a gentleman and even opened Louis' door for him. He'd already said goodbye to his mum before she went to bed so all that was left to do was drive.

 The drive took about an hour and a half and Louis tapped his foot and tapped his hand on his thigh and kept whipping his head around to look at _everything_.

 “Harry did you see that? That was a gas station.”

 “I saw it Lou. Did you wanna stop?”

 He wasn’t expecting Louis to say yes.

 “Can we? Is that okay?”

 The way his eyes were wide and shining made him look like a five year old kid about to get on a roller coaster, full of excitement and just a hint of fear.

 “Yeah we can stop. Of course.”

 So they did. It was just a normal gas station with fountain drinks and snacks and hotdogs on those little spinning racks, but to Louis it looked like a fresh start.

 They ended up getting sodas and more snacks than were probably necessary but a celebration dinner was in order after all. Louis tasted a little bit of everything, offering Harry his leftovers when he got full and said his stomach felt like it was going to explode.

 “You ate too much silly.”

 Louis was slumped over in the seat, candy and chips and crumbs scattered across his lap. He was holding his now not so flat stomach with both hands and groaning like he was dying.

 “But it was all so good!”

 He protested, sneaking a little smile in just for good measure.

 “I'm sure it was.”

 Harry laughed, kissing his hand and reaching over to transfer the kiss to Louis' aching stomach.

 They didn’t talk much after that, and Louis might've fell asleep for awhile, because when they pulled up to the tiny flat nestled in between some buildings, his eyes were closed.

 Rather than wake him, Harry went around and scooped him into his arms bridal style to carry him inside.

 His furniture wasn’t getting delivered for the next couple of days so he went back out and got some blankets from the car, making a makeshift bed on the living room floor. He didn’t even bother bringing anything else in, instead choosing to curl up next to Louis and fall asleep to the scent of wooden floors and Louis and change.

 He had made sure to set the alarm on his phone so he could wake Louis up to watch the sunrise though. Because it felt like something that needed to happen. It felt like taking a step forward.

 “Louis. Louis wake up love.”

 Harry was gently shaking the boy's shoulder, until his eyes found their way open, tired and hazy.

 “What is it? Something wrong?”

 He mumbled sleepily, rolling into the boy's touch.

 “Gonna watch the sunrise. Come on before we miss it.”

 That was all it took. Louis jumped up like he'd never been asleep in the first place and they padded outside, still in their clothes from the night before.

 There was a little grassy patch in the front yard that gave a clear view of the sky. They sat down, Louis slotted in between Harry's legs, leaning his head back onto his shoulder. A few minutes later light was flooding the sky, all different shades of oranges and yellows. It washed over them, bathing them in the colors and warmth that only a sunrise in the middle of summer could provide.

 Harry wished he could've saw Louis' face because he was sure it was one of those things that would’ve stayed with him forever. But he didn’t want to move, didn’t want to disrupt even one little atom, because this wasn’t about him, this was about the boy sitting between his legs looking at the sun for the first time in too long.

 “Thank you.”

 Louis whispered, tearing his eyes away from the scene in front of him to bend his head back and look at Harry.

 “For what?”

 Because Harry was too caught up in watching Louis for thinking.

 “This. Waking me up to see this. Saving me. Everything really.”

 He was still looking at Harry and if that's how he was looking at the sun Harry felt pretty damn lucky.

 “I love you.”

 Because that meant so much more than you’re welcome.

 “I love you too.”

 Years later they would tell their children about that morning, making sure to mark the date on the calendar every year so they could wake up early and watch the sunrise for traditions sake. And it must've been fate because not one of those days did it ever rain or storm. There was never a cloud in the sky as they sat there, wrapped up in each other like nothing had changed from that morning so long ago, love and warmth and the sun surrounding them like a blanket.

 *

 The first couple of weeks in the flat went by slowly. There was always something going on, whether it be unpacking boxes or setting up furniture or cooking meals for two. More than anything else though, there was learning.

 Harry showed Louis how to use a stove and a microwave and the new flat screen tv his mum had sent over. The boy caught on quickly and was always asking questions that Harry never got sick of answering.

 Then there was the sex of course. Which was coming along quite nicely if Harry didn’t say so himself. After they got Louis tested and the results came back fine things got a little out of control. In a good way of course.

 Louis realized that giving blow jobs could be fun when the person you were giving them too wasn’t an old man that pulled your hair too hard and yelled too much, rather a boy with bright green eyes that gave smiles of encouragement and more praise than was probably deserved.

 The first time they actually had sex couldn’t have played out any better. It all started innocently enough, a little making out on the couch, wandering mouths, and clothes being shed.

 “I want you to fuck me.”

 And Harry hadn’t actually meant to say it out loud but it was the truth.

 “I've never done it before, only the other way around. I might be awful.”

 Louis' honesty never failed to amaze him.

 “You wont. You could never be awful, even if you tried.”

 “Okay.”

 That was all it took and Louis was retrieving a condom and some lube from one of their drawers.

 “Is it okay if we don’t use one?”

 Harry asked, gesturing to the condom.

 The puzzled look on Louis' face prompted him for an explanation.

 “It's just, I've never really done this with anyone and we know that you’re okay now, I just want all of you. God I sound stupid—shit.”

 Louis tossed the condom back in the drawer.

 "Not stupid at all.”

 Now Louis had this hungry look in his eyes like he was going to absolutely devour Harry, which he would be more than okay with by the way.

 “Get over here then.”

 Louis got over there and they figured out the technicalities together.

 It wasn’t the most romantic first time, full of giggles and too many soft kisses and mistakes but it was perfect to them.

 There was always next time after all. And the time after that. Because Harry knew that Louis was free.

 That was the thing about Louis, he was far too positive in Harry's opinion, never letting anything from the past get to him even though it should've haunted him for the rest of his life. He was also one of the strongest people in the world in Harry's opinion, nothing able to break him. One day Harry would find out that  a lot of those things were because of him, because he saved the boy when no one else could, because he gave him a reason to hope.

 *

 They were watching a movie the night before Harry started university, when Louis planted a sneak attack kiss right on Harry's lips, catching him off guard.

 “What was that for?”

 Harry turned to look at the boy who was clearly up to no good.

 “Dunno. Just felt like kissing my favorite person in the world.”

 “I'm your favorite person in the world?”

 Harry smirked into the next kiss, that he snuck in this time.

 “Considering you’re the only person I've talked to in twelve years besides Jim I'm gonna go with yes Harry.”

 And Harry didn’t want to bring it up but he had to.

 “About that—I think we should call the police soon or I don’t know, something Louis. We cant just let him get away with this.”

 “I know. We can call tomorrow I promise. Right now I just wanna cuddle.”

 Louis crawled into his arms and nuzzled into his favorite spot, Harry's hands wrapping around his stomach.

 “I like your belly now.”

 Harry whispered into the boy's neck forgeting about everything else.

 “When did you not like my belly?”

 Louis asked, plastering a fake shocked expression on his face.

 “I always liked it, just now that I'm stuffing you with all this fattening food you’ve got a little meat on you. It suits you.”

 Harry gave it a couple pokes for good measure and kissed Louis' cheek.

 “As long as you like it.”

 Louis said, returning the favor and kissing Harry's cheek. His face was practically beaming, his eyes saying I love you a thousand times without any words.

 And for fuck's sake, the boy grew up in a basement, dark and cold and underground. But he shined so much brighter than anyone Harry had ever met. He was like the sun, hidden away behind ashes from a volcano, just waiting for the debris to fall to the ground. Because no matter how cloudy the sky got, no matter how gray and dark the world seemed, ashes always fall down. And the sun always rises.

There would be time to deal with everything else later. Finding Louis' family and explaining things to his own mum and making sure Mr. Kelley received everything he deserved.

 But right now all that mattered was Louis falling asleep in his arms, safe for the first time in what felt like forever, and he sure felt like he really was holding the sun.


End file.
